Oxymoron
by Theluckyfish
Summary: Sometimes opposites complement each other best. What others see as a weakness, I see as the source of my greatest strength. OC SI
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **So I've finally jumped on the OC SI bandwagon. Although Silver Queen's **Dreaming of Sunshine **(it's really good, you should check it out if you haven't already) was what got me first reading OC Self-Inserts, I was actually inspired to write this by all the other amazing SI fanfiction out there. Including but not limited to: **Catch Your Breath** by Lang Noi, **Three Tails **by insertxcoolxnamexhere, **Decaying Bluebells** by Darkpetal16, and **Iryo-nin Kasa** by Vaengir.

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Chapter 1

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Hitoshi Uchiha was not a happy man. His wife was giving birth, and he was _not happy_. The baby wasn't supposed to be due for another two months! Hitoshi didn't need to be a medic to know that premature births were a tricky business. There was a very high chance that the baby would not survive.

Occasionally, even the mother's life could be called into question.

Hitoshi dearly loved his wife, and would very much prefer her intact at the end of this birthing business. Judging by the screams echoing down the hall, their noise only slightly muffled by the door separating the birthing chamber from the rest of the room, even that idea seemed too much to hope for.

Hitoshi was interrupted from his (frantic) pacing by a strong but steady hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Hitoshi," Fugaku said evenly. "Why don't you sit down for a while. You've been at it for hours."

Hitoshi shrugged Fugaku's arm off to resume his pacing. "I can't _calm down_, Fugaku. Kimiyo's in there, and judging by her screams, I doubt she's having too much fun. I should be in there, helping her get through that, but," and here some of Hitoshi's well-known sarcasm seemed to seep through, "apparently there's 'no nonmedics allowed.'"

Fugaku ignored his cousin's sardonic tone, knowing it was his way of dealing with stressful situations. And the delivery of a child definitely qualified as a stressful situation. Thank Kami that when Mikoto had Itachi, it wasn't nearly half as bad as this.

"Kimiyo is a strong woman," Fugaku said. "You should have faith in her, and the baby. Both of them will pull through."

Hitoshi stopped mid-step, his eyes pinning Fugaku with a desperation Fugaku wasn't entirely sure he felt comfortable with being on the receiving end of. "You swear it?" Hitoshi whispered.

Sometimes Fugaku wondered who was really the older one in their relationship, him or his cousin. "I strongly believe it."

Before Hitoshi could wrestle a more satisfactory answer from his younger relative, the door to the birthing chamber suddenly opened, a red-faced midwife stumbling out. In an instant, Hitoshi was at her side.

"How is she?" he inquired urgently.

"Her condition is stable. You can go in to see her now," the midwife answered wearily.

Hitoshi didn't even wait for the woman to finish speaking before he slipped past her into the room. Almost immediately, his ears registered the sounds of a baby crying nearby. His eyes were drawn, however, to the figure lying on the hospital bed. Her face was a little too pale for his liking, but all of Hitoshi's worries seemed to melt away upon seeing his wife.

A few medics remained in the room, some checking her vitals, others scribbling furiously away on clipboards. Their tones were hushed, urgent. But Hitoshi hardly paid them any mind as he made his way over to his wife's side. Tenderly, he stroked her cheek.

Kimiyo's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hitoshi?" she murmured tiredly. "Is that you?"

"How are you feeling, my love?" Hitoshi asked gently.

Kimiyo managed a smile. "I've been better," she joked half-heartedly. But her eyes seemed to brighten. "Have you seen our daughter yet?"

"Daughter?" Hitoshi echoed bemusedly.

Kimiyo couldn't have looked more smug than she did at that moment. "Yes, _daughter_," she stressed. "You lost your bet, Hitoshi. Better fess up when we get home."

Hitoshi inwardly shook his head. It was just like Kimiyo to think about the bet they'd made on the gender of the baby right after giving birth. _Then again_, he mused fondly. _He wouldn't have it any other way_.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the approach of a medic. She looked uncharacteristically tense, her gaze darting back and forth between Hitoshi and his wife, as if hating herself for intruding on the couple's happiness but resigning herself to the fact that it had to be done.

A feeling of dread seemed to curl up in the pit of Hitoshi's stomach.

"Uchiha-san," she began nervously, "your daughter—"

"Is she ali-alright?" Hitoshi quickly corrected himself.

The medic looked grave. "She's alive, but only under extraordinary circumstances. To be frank, Uchiha-san, no infant would have been able to survive being born so prematurely. The natural chakra present in the air would have been too much for the baby's underdeveloped chakra coils. Your daughter, however, already seems to have developed chakra coils, or at least of the spiritual portion." Here she paused, as if hoping Hitoshi would be able to offer an explanation of this unprecedented new development.

Hitoshi, however, was just as lost as the medic was, perhaps even more so. In all his life, he'd never known of a baby, Uchiha or otherwise, with completely developed chakra coils (even if it was of the spiritual portion) before coming out of the womb.

"Perhaps...perhaps our kekkei genkai had something to do with it?" Hitoshi offered up weakly. Although he'd never heard of a baby being able to activate the sharingan before. Besides, you would need fully developed chakra coils for that.

The medic didn't look convinced, but seemed to accept it as the most rational explanation for now. Adopting a more cheerful tone to her voice, she asked, "Would you two like to meet your daughter now?"

As Kimiyo eagerly accepted the offer, Hitoshi made a valiant effort to push his doubts and worries aside for now. Despite the troubling news the medic had brought, Hitoshi couldn't help but smile. His daughter! Shisui would be excited to have a younger sibling to play with. And although Hitoshi wasn't the best at understanding girls, for his daughter's sake, he would try his best. Oh, and of course, frightening away potential suitors when she got older. That went without being said.

"What are you smiling so goofily about?" Kimiyo teased, snapping her husband out of his thoughts. Hitoshi grinned sheepishly. "Just thinking of the future."

Kimiyo's gaze seemed to soften. "The future," she repeated softly, as if testing the words on her tongue. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I just hope our daughter's chakra abnormality won't negatively affect her life."

Hitoshi grasped both of his wife's hands warmly in his own. "It won't," he promised, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

Just then, the medic from earlier returned, this time with a small bundle in her arms. Gently, she placed her precious cargo into Kimiyo's waiting arms before moving back to give the couple some space.

As Hitoshi leaned forward eagerly to gaze at his daughter, he was struck by how tiny she was. There was no way Shisui was that small when he was born.

Once he got over his initial shock of seeing what a premature baby looked like, however, the second thought that struck him was that his daughter had the curliest, thickest mop of black hair he had ever seen. In fact, Hitoshi thought wistfully, it almost reminded him of his father.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Kimiyo cooed, awe and love apparent in her voice as she gazed at their daughter. And in that moment, Hitoshi knew he was the happiest man alive.

"Kagami," Hitoshi said softly.

"What?" Kimiyo said absentmindedly, preoccupied with fussing over their newborn daughter.

"Let's name her Kagami," Hitoshi said, a little louder this time. He met Kimiyo's inquisitive look with his own steady gaze. "After my father."

Kimiyo smiled. "It's a beautiful name," she agreed.

Yes, Hitoshi was happy. But alas, it seemed as if the saying "all good things must come to an end" had some truth to it after all.

For when their daughter opened her eyes, they were not the deep coal black that was the trademark of the Uchiha clan.

Her eyes were a milky gray.

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Darkness. Suffocating, encompassing darkness on all sides. I'd never been claustrophobic, but in that moment, I wanted to be anywhere _but_ here. It was wet, too. Wet and dark.

_Why am I here?_ I asked myself. Suddenly, I was struck with a chilling thought. _Who am I?_ I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember anything.

Just then, there was a squeezing sensation. I was moving. Squirming, I flailed my limbs in an attempt to orient myself. Which way was up? Which way was down?

With an unpleasant shock, I realized I was upside down. And falling. Panicking, I squirmed harder. All that seemed to accomplish, however, was making me fall faster. I had the most unpleasant sensation of my head being squished.

Suddenly, everything was cold. Too cold. I changed my mind. I want to go back to that stuffy place. It was freezing here.

It wasn't long before a bigger problem became apparent, however. _I couldn't breathe_. Again, I panicked, opening my mouth and—

It was as if a dam had broken. I bawled, screaming my terror and pain out for the world to hear. What the heck? Why am I crying?

But with my (embarrassing) crying came an indescribable bliss. I could finally _breath_. Ahh, fresh oxygen. How I've missed you.

My need for air satisfied, I'm pleased to say that I calmed down. Slightly. I was still cold. But that problem was soon remedied when someone wrapped a blanket around me, toweling me off and keeping me warm in the process.

Sighing, I snuggled contentedly into it. Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all...

I barely held back a gasp when I suddenly felt myself lifted and carried. What was going on? Why do I feel so...small (for lack of a better word)? I still couldn't see, so I was left to rely entirely on my ears.

There was another sense, too, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was a little like seeing but not really. If I had to describe it, it was a lot like the after-images you get behind your eyelids after staring at a bright light for too long. Except it didn't seem limited to my sense of vision. I could almost feel it, taste it. The person carrying me appeared as a fuzzy blue image, but I could also detect the sharp smell of blood and antiseptic (not a very promising combination).

Suddenly, I was set down on something, and a large...I think hand was pressed to my stomach. I felt something foreign, strange, and most definitely unpleasant (it had that characteristic sense of blood and antiseptic) _thing_ enter my body. Needless to say, I didn't take to it well.

Actually, that would be an understatement. I screamed, flailed around, and started crying again. Whatever this place was, I was absolutely convinced it was trying to kill me. With my luck, I'd probably been abducted by aliens, who were now performing strange and invasive experiments on me...on second thought, that was probably exactly what had happened! They'd wiped me of my memories and were now going to torture and kill me.

I always get the worst luck, don't I?

The person quickly removed his or her hand, and the painful sensation decreased. His or her blue image seemed to buzz erratically, as if troubled. But at this point, I could care less. For all I knew, he or she could be an alien.

Thankfully, the alien quickly left after that (at least, I think so; I couldn't detect him or her anymore), and I tried to regain some sense of calm. I still didn't know where I was, but at least I'd worked out some explanation of how I got here. Luckily, it seemed the aliens hadn't wiped out every memory, as I could still remember something about calling the police if one was in danger. The moment I bust out of here, I'm calling the police.

So engrossed I was in my plan for escape that I completely missed the alien's coming back again. It's anxiety seemed to have lessened just slightly, which didn't bode well for me.

The next thing I knew, I was being picked up and carried again. I attempted to struggle feebly, but when the alien simply tightened its hold on me, I was forced to conclude that for now, I was too weak to fight back. (And small...I still have to figure that part out). We seemed to enter another room, this one with a lot of aliens in it. I could detect a lot of fuzzy blue images just like that of the alien holding me, except they each felt and smelled different. The sudden influx of sensory details made my head spin.

I was brought over to two of them, one of whom smelled like blood. A lot of it. The other smelled like ash and water...if that made any sense. Both of their images buzzed animatedly, as if anxious, yet excited.

The alien carrying me suddenly held me out, like I was an offering, to the one who smelled like blood. Oh hell no. I wasn't going to get sacrificed to some bloodthirsty alien, was I?

To my surprise, the alien simply cradled me in its arms, cooing softly at me. In spite of myself, I visibly relaxed as I felt its love and adoration wash over me. If I didn't know better, I would say that it was almost acting like my mother...

I nearly choked. That was a possibility I had not considered. I was a baby? And the child of an alien? My luck just got worse and worse, didn't it? At least these aliens seemed nice. Maybe I could get away with pretending I was their alien baby or something.

The one who smelled like ash and water (I'm assuming he was my father) leaned closer, as if to look at me. Oh yeah, that reminded me. I could just open my eyes to see what was going on, couldn't I? With that stroke of genius, I forced my heavy, uncertain baby eyes open.

Nothing. It was still dark. What was going on? Why couldn't I see anything?

Despite the fact that nothing had happened (for me), my...erm...parents seemed surprised and even dismayed. Oops. Had I angered them somehow? I resisted the urge to tremble. Had my cover been blown?

I strained my ears to listen to what they were saying. Although I could sort of sense their emotions, I didn't know what their voices actually sounded like. To my frustration, however, I couldn't make out a word they were saying. It was like they were speaking in a completely different language. Which, in retrospect, I suppose they were.

Suddenly, the fuzzy blue image of my father (it felt weird to think of him as that, since I could vaguely recall I once had another father, sometime, somewhere) began to agitate, its edges becoming even more fuzzy and jagged. The next thing I knew, I was out like a light.

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**Author's Note: **I looked it up, and Kagami is actually a girl's name. Or at least a unisex name. In case any of you were curious, it means "mirror."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Ok, this chapter has some Japanese sentences in it, and since I'm not a native speaker of Japanese, I'm probably going to botch some of the words and grammar (I used Google Translate for most of these). If you see any mistakes, kindly just leave a review or PM me, and I'll go back to fix them later. Otherwise, enjoy!

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Chapter 2

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When I came to, the first thing I noticed was that I was wearing clothes. Huh. Somehow I'd forgotten about my nakedness in the whirl of confusion and terror when I was first...born.

It sounded impossible, but right now, it was my best explanation for what was happening to me. Somehow, I had been born twice. The first time, I was human. The second time...I'm not even sure what I am. "Alien" didn't seem like the right term anymore.

The strange thing, however, was that I could remember snippets of my past life. Sure, I had no idea who I once was, or even who my family was, but I knew with an almost chilling, cold certainty that this was not the first time I'd been born.

Then there was the fact that I could sense the people here. My memory may be spotty, but I'm certain I did not have this ability in my first life. The alien explanation was starting to look good again...

Speaking of my weird sensing ability, I suddenly noticed an extra presence in the room. The fuzzy blue image this one portrayed was much smaller than that of either of my parents (it still felt so weird to think of them that way) and as it moved closer to me, I caught a whiff of sweet cedar and water.

Almost instinctively, I knew my unexpected visitor was male, and a very young one at that.

At long last, the presence moved to a stop right in front of my bed. For a while, he just stood there, staring at me I assume. And let me tell you, there is nothing more awkward than pretending to sleep while remaining fully aware that someone was watching you.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and snapped my eyes open. Once again, nothing changed. My heart sank. A part of me had hoped that the first time was a fluke, that when I opened my eyes, something other than darkness would greet my vision. But the second time confirmed it. Either the people here turned the lights off all the time, or I was blind.

As I mentally angst-ed over this newfound development, my little visitor seemed to have been caught completely by surprise. With a loud gasp, he tumbled to the floor (if the ensuing thump was anything to go by). Looks like he'd climbed up to see me, and accidentally let go when I opened my eyes.

Despite the news I'd recently confirmed for myself, I couldn't help but snort. Instantly, the boy's presence appeared at the side of my bed again, his image flickering happily. "Anata ga waratta!" He exclaimed. Yeah, I have no idea what you just said. What language do they speak here, anyway?

Without waiting for a reply, he went on: "Watashi no namae wa Shisui des!"

_I still have no idea what you're talking about_, I thought dully. Although the language did sound vaguely familiar, as if I'd heard it somewhere before. But where? Definitely in my past life. However, that would nullify the alien theory. Perhaps I was still in my old world after all?

Just then, another presence entered the room. I recognized it immediately—the ashy scent, mixed with the smell of fresh water—along with the characteristic vibrations in his image. It was my father.

And apparently, somebody was in trouble. My first visitor's image began to buzz nervously, and I didn't even have to see to know that the boy made a brave but futile attempt at escape.

"Anata wa koko de nani wo shiteiru no desu ka?" my father asked the boy. His voice sounded stern.

"Aisatsu shitakatta dakena nda!" the boy whined. Gah, it's so frustrating not being able to understand anything!

My father seemed to sigh, his image wavering with what could only be described as exasperation. Then, to my surprise, he lifted the boy up, bringing him over to the side of my bed to look at me.

As the boy laughed, I was struck with a realization. _These people were my family_. And the boy...the boy was my _brother_. I wasn't sure how I knew; it was almost instinctive, the same way I knew the gender and age of my brother when he'd first come to visit. And it seemed the more time passed, the more information I could glean from each reading.

"Watashi wa anata no oniisanda, Kagami-chan!" my brother said. I still couldn't understand him, but I could tell his affection and excitement for me were heartfelt. Before I could even think about it, I smiled, gurgling happily.

I didn't need to see to know that my brother smiled back.

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After that first meeting, my brother visited a couple more times. Each visit, he seemed to have something to say, enthusiastically blabbering away in that childish voice of his. But it was a good thing for me, as it allowed me to pick up the language faster. That, combined with my already...mature mind, soon enabled me to understand some of what was being said.

As a result, the day when my mother and I would finally be able to go home came as no surprise to me. I wasn't sure how long we'd stayed in the hospital, but apparently it was longer than usual. Evidently, my birth had not been an easy one.

When I thought back to the first time I'd met my parents, and remembered the overwhelming scent of my mother's blood, I could understand why. And I couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit guilty for that.

But now she was better, my brother had assured me on his last visit. And soon she and I would be able to come home.

To tell the truth, I was excited to be going "home." I was still unsure whether my alien theory was completely false, but one thing was certain: my family here genuinely loved me. My brother seemed to see me as the center of his world, and each time my mother breastfed me, I could tangibly feel the love and tenderness emanating off her in waves.

As for my father, he acted like he was unsure of how to treat me, but I could sense his love and devotion every time he visited. Still, there was some small part of me that was hurt with how open he seemed to be around my brother and how tight-lipped he was around me. While both my mother and brother spoke to me all the time, he never did.

I tried not to be too bothered by that. Maybe he was just shy around babies.

But anyway, today I was finally going home! I was curious to see, I mean sense, more of the outside world. Although my sensing abilities had improved since that first day, and I could now tell exactly where my mother was even if we weren't in the same room, I couldn't sense much outside of the hospital. Perhaps by getting a feel of what the outdoors looked like, I would be able to work out exactly where I was on...Earth. Unbidden, the word came to mind. Was that the place I'd lived in before I had been born again?

Speaking of my memories, or lack of them, thoughts and places would randomly float to the front of my brain, dragged up from who knows where. Sometimes all it would take was a familiar word for me to suddenly remember something. But I couldn't remember. Who. I. Was.

It frustrated me to no end. I mean, your identity is a pretty big part of who you are. I had a new identity here, Kagami. Apparently that was my name. It was a nice name, I suppose. A little strange sounding. But most of the words here were like that.

What was really strange, however, was my brother's name. Shisui. It was just as weird as the rest of the words here, yet somehow, I felt like I'd heard it before. In my past life.

This world felt so different from my old life, yet these odd connections kept popping up everywhere. Trying to figure them out gave my baby mind a headache. So I decided not to think too much about them, at least for the moment.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by my mother's entering the room. She seemed much healthier than the first time I'd met her, and the smell of blood had given way to something that could only be described as ash and lilies (I know, a weird combination, but at least it was very easy to recognize). Her image buzzed with happiness as she gathered me up in her arms.

"Aren't you excited, Kagami-chan? Today we finally get to go home!" she chirped.

I gurgled approvingly. Not like I could make any other noise.

My mother seemed to take this as an affirmative on my part, and settling me more comfortably into her arms, we left my hospital room.

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My head hurt. No, scratch that. My head _pounded_, like a thousand gunmen were firing off shots, one after the other, inside my brain. Because unfortunately for me, I had forgotten one important detail about the outside world.

There were people outside. A whole lot more than there were in the hospital. And all those blue images were making my head ache.

For my parents' sake, I attempted to disguise my pain as best as I could, but Shisui (who seemed unusually perceptive for a four year old) appeared to catch on to my discomfort. Instead of showing me the sights and sounds like he'd promised, he suddenly seemed extra anxious to get home, which in turn made _my_ parents want to get home, and as a result we reached our house in record time.

Actually, calling it a house would be derogatory. It was more like a small village in and of itself, with a lot of ash-smelling people milling around inside. Now I know where my parents got their smell from.

Thankfully, there were less people here than in the main village, and my headache seemed to ease ever so slightly. Still, I was amazed. Were all these people my relatives? I didn't realize I had such a...large family. Suddenly, I was feeling the slightest bit intimidated.

As we walked through the entrance, some of them seemed to stop and notice us. A few even came up to exchange greetings with my father. With a jolt of respect, I realized he must be an important person in our family. (Which did nothing to ease my nerves, by the way. I was probably expected to one day be just as good as he was).

Strangely enough, my mother suddenly altered the way she was holding me so that my face was turned towards her chest. As one of our relatives approached us, her image spiked nervously. But what would she have to be nervous about?

"Ohayo, Kimiyo-san!" our relative said cheerfully. "I'm so glad to see you're back from the hospital. Ooh, is this the baby? What's her name?"

When she leaned closer to peer at me, my mother shifted, almost hiding me from view. "Her name is Kagami," my mother said quickly. "She's a little tired from our trip here, so she's sleeping."

Err...no I wasn't.

But our relative didn't seem to know that. Her image fluctuated with disappointment, but she turned away, tossing a good-bye over her shoulder as she went.

I could physically feel my mother relax beneath me.

Ok...that was weird. Why was my own mother acting as if she didn't want our relatives to see me?

I hardly had any time to dwell on my question, however, before we were suddenly moving again, my mother still noticeably keeping my face turned away from the outside. Although I hated to admit it, I _was_ a little tired from the day's events. Needless to say, this was the most activity I'd had in a while, even if I wasn't the one doing the walking.

With a big yawn, I closed my eyes, drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

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**Author's Note:** It's actually harder than I thought to write from the point of view of a blind person. I keep wanting to write "see," and having to write something like "sense" or "felt" instead.

And yeah, I noticed that I keep ending these chapters with the main character falling asleep. But even though she claims her mind is mature, she does physically have the body of a baby. And babies sleep. A lot.

Translations:

_Anata ga waratta!_ - You laughed!

_Watashi no namae wa Shisui des!_ - My name is Shisui!

_Anata wa koko de nani wo shiteiru no desu ka?_ - What are you doing here?

_Aisatsu shitakatta dakena nda!_ - I just wanted to say hello!

_Watashi wa anata no oniisanda, Kagami-chan!_ - I'm your big brother, Kagami!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **To clarify the timeline in which these events are happening, _the Third Shinobi War is still going on_. According to the Naruto Wiki (which we all know can't be completely trusted, but it does have some pretty good information on there), Itachi becomes a pacifist after witnessing at a young age all the lives lost in the war. Right now, Itachi is two. So he hasn't witnessed all those deaths yet. But he will soon.

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Chapter 3

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I was dreaming. Of red eyes. Eyes that burned with the color of blood and fire. Eyes that had inspired generations of bloodshed and hate, hate that scorched so deep it left a mark on your very being.

Atop a cliff, outlined by the moon, was a figure. He had spiky hair that stuck up in the back, and what looked like an old-fashioned sword strapped to his back. He wasn't looking my way, but I was almost sure that if he did, I would die.

And I was terrified. Never before had I felt such vile...chakra such as that was emanating from the figure. Almost instinctively, I knew this person had fallen prey to his hate, to the lust for power present in those accursed eyes.

And suddenly, the figure was gone, and there was just the moon, a moon that was growing bigger and bigger and redder and redder and oh god it was the eyes again pleasepleaseplease makeitstop—

"Kagami! Kagami-chan!"

Someone was calling me. Who was calling me?

With a gasp, I jerked awake. Once again, darkness greeted my vision. But this time, I welcomed the darkness. I would rather be blind than see all_ that_ again.

Still, I wasn't completely helpless, I thought with relief. In a move that was slowly becoming second nature, I reached out with my senses, gratefully latching on to the presence of my brother. His image—no, chakra, all these images I was sensing were chakra—was quivering with anxiety, and I was struck with a jolt of gratitude when I realized he'd been worried for me.

"Are you okay, Kagami-chan?" he asked me again.

I suddenly understood why he was concerned. My cheeks were wet. I had been crying in my sleep.

Of course, it's not like I could say "I'm fine" (my baby vocal cords still weren't quite suited for speaking words), so I just sort of cooed reassuringly. I made sure I stopped crying, though.

"What's wrong with her?" An unfamiliar voice spoke up. This one had a smaller chakra signature than my brother's, leading me to believe he was younger. He smelled like jasmine and the sea.

I could feel my brother's chakra bristle angrily. "Nothing's wrong with her! Don't all babies cry?"

The other boy seemed to frown. "But she was crying silently," he pointed out. "I've never seen a baby do that before."

My brother huffed, as if unable to come up with a reply. "I'm going to get kaa-san," he told me, ignoring the other boy. Seconds later, I felt his presence leave the room.

That just left me and the strange boy alone. Gee, thanks nii-san.

Neither of us said a word in the time my brother was gone (I because I literally couldn't talk, and the strange boy because, well, I guess he wasn't the talkative type). Thankfully, my brother soon returned with my mother.

I could feel her chakra spike worriedly as she gathered me up in her arms, checking me over for anything wrong.

"Is she alright?" an unfamiliar woman's voice asked. What's up with all these strange people?

Before my mother could answer, the strange boy spoke up again. "She appeared to be having a nightmare, and was crying silently."

"Crying silently, hm?" Another unfamiliar voice said. Ugh, I give up on identifying these people. All you need to know is that they smelled like ash. Except for the boy.

Wait, on second thought, that meant they were all my family. Crap.

"Kagami was always a strange baby," my father suddenly said. Whoa, I didn't even sense him coming in. "Except for that first day, she hasn't cried once. She seems to be very mature for her age."

"That sounds like Itachi," commented the unfamiliar woman.

"Maybe so," my father stated darkly. "But did your son also have fully developed chakra coils when he came out of the womb?"

Everyone was silent for a while, contemplating the meaning of his words. Well, I don't know if my brother and the younger boy understood or not. But _I_ certainly didn't like where this was going. I'm not sure what would happen to me if they realized I wasn't their daughter, but I didn't want to find out. I'll have to be more careful from here on out.

"Mature chakra coils or not," the strange man finally spoke up again, "with her blindness, the clan will see her as nothing but an embarrassment. Word is, even the Hyūga showed no hesitation in killing one of their own when they realized he was blind. The Uchiha clan cannot afford to show the same weakness here where the Hyūga did not."

Um, excuse me? Were they really talking about EXECUTING me while I was right in front of them? Oh wait, they don't know I can understand them. But still! It's not like I was asked to be born blind! What kind of messed up family is this?

"No," my father said. His chakra suddenly felt icy cold. "I will not allow my daughter to die over something so petty."

Go, dad!

The unfamiliar man's chakra wavered tiredly. "It's not my choice, Hitoshi. The clan elders will have my hands tied on this one."

"Will?" my father echoed. I could hear the surprise in his voice. "So you haven't told them yet?"

The strange man's chakra buzzed as if in amusement. "The news must have slipped my mind."

"Arigatou, Fugaku-san," my father said, relief and gratitude evident in his tone. And I suddenly realized that, in a funny way, this strange man had actually saved my life.

_Of course, it wouldn't even be in danger in the first place_, I couldn't help thinking sourly, _if our "clan," as he so called it, didn't support the execution of helpless blind babies_. Why was being blind such a crime anyway?

"Don't be so quick to thank me," the man named Fugaku corrected. "While it's unlikely the clan elders will personally come to see your new daughter, they will keep tabs on her progress. You and your father were one of the best shinobi our clan had to offer. Naturally they will want to take a special interest in your children."

My father's chakra seemed to drop a notch in coldness. "What are you trying to say, Fugaku?"

"If you want to keep her blindness a secret, then you will have to treat her as if she _isn't_ blind. And that means letting her enroll in the Academy. Letting her learn how to fight. And," Fugaku's voice sounded grim, "letting her become a ninja."

Well. That didn't sound ominous at all.

...And really, ninjas? What was this, some kid's tv show?

To my horror, my father actually seemed to be considering Fugaku's words. "It's the best alternative we have," he conceded, albeit reluctantly. "And shinobi have learned how to fight blind before."

"I don't like it," my mother suddenly spoke up. As I was still in her arms, I didn't even have to sense her chakra to feel how tense she was. "Hitoshi, do you hear what you're saying? You really want to send our daughter out to the front lines of the war? She'll be killed!"

My father's chakra seemed to agitate, though from worry or frustration, I couldn't tell. "What choice do we have? It's either announce her blindness to the clan and get her killed, or teach her how to fight and give her at least a chance of surviving!"

The room seemed to freeze. Belatedly, I realized that this was the first time I'd heard my father raise his voice against my mother.

As if realizing the same thing, my father continued, in a much gentler tone, "I don't like it either, Kimiyo, but right now it's the only option we have. Besides, there are rumors that the war is almost over. By the time Kagami is old enough to fight, perhaps there won't even be any need for child soldiers like her."

My mother heaved an unhappy sigh, but I could feel her chakra slightly relax. I, on the other hand, was far from relaxed.

Child soldiers? War? Shinobi? And worst of all, a clan that apparently didn't care if it killed a blind baby or two? What kind of world had I been born into? Wherever this place was, it wasn't Earth, that I was sure of now.

And yet...yet there were things I recognized. That earlier conversation should have made no sense to me whatsoever, but it had. Some if it, at least. I...I felt like I knew what chakra coils were, who the Hyūga were, who shinobi were. The information was somewhere in the back of my mind, and it seemed as if all I had to do was just reach back there and grab it. But it was like trying to grab water; the memories kept slipping through my fingers.

"It's late," the man named Fugaku finally said. "We'll be leaving now, Hitoshi."

I felt his, my father's, and the strange woman and boy's presences leave the room.

"Kaa-san?" a small, timid voice spoke up. "Kagami-chan won't really die, right?"

Both my mother and I started. I had completely forgotten that my brother was still in the room. And apparently, so had my mother. Otherwise she probably wouldn't have let Shisui hear all of that.

"No, Shisui-kun. Kagami-chan won't die. But you mustn't tell anyone your little sister is blind, okay?"

Ahh, so that's why my mother had tried to hide me from view when we first entered our clan's compound.

"What does 'blind' mean?" Shisui asked.

"It means your imouto can't see like you and I can. So when she starts learning to become a ninja, promise kaa-san you'll protect her, alright?"

I could almost imagine the solemn look in my brother's eyes. "Hai, kaa-san!" he declared. "I'll protect my imouto, no matter what it takes!"

And I you, brother, I thought with sudden fierceness.

Whatever it takes.

.

* * *

.

After that fateful day when I very nearly escaped death, I didn't go outside much. Well, correction. My _parents_ didn't let me go outside much. Briefly I wondered if that would arouse suspicion (yes, that conversation had now made me paranoid of the clan elders. Which is ridiculous if you think about it, since they were technically my family), but I guess infants usually stay inside anyways.

But while I didn't get about much, that Fugaku man and his family seemed to visit quite regularly. Despite the less-than-chummy exchange I'd witnessed between my brother and Itachi (that was the name of the strange boy), the two seemed to hit it right off. In fact, I almost had to suppress a surge of jealousy with how much time my brother was spending with Itachi.

It was hard to dislike Itachi himself, though. He was actually a very quiet and polite boy. The only person who he really talked a lot around was Shisui (indeed, my brother seemed to have that effect on people). But Itachi also attracted my attention for another reason. His name—it was familiar.

So were his father and mother's names, actually. The whole family was creepily familiar. I knew for sure I'd never met them before in my past life, so why did I have these memories of them?

Reflecting over questions like these pretty much took up the remainder of my first year of life. Other than the day I was born and _that night_, my life remained as uneventful as a newborn's life could be. Although it got a little boring (and humiliating, especially when diaper-changing time came around) at times, I was glad for that.

Because something told me I wouldn't be getting much peace and quiet in the future.

Unfortunately for me, that day came sooner than I expected. On my first birthday. Fortunately, they celebrated birthdays here, so I didn't have to keep track of time myself to know how old I was.

Unfortunately, birthdays were a traditional family event. And when I say traditional, I mean traditional _traditional_. I'd never worn a kimono before, but from memories of my old life, I knew what one looked like. And the _thing _they were forcing me into felt a lot like a kimono. Or a really uncomfortable straight jacket.

As I sat there stiffly, trying not to upset the hairdo they'd arranged (pulled) my hair into, I could sense my brother trying not to laugh at me.

I really wanted to ask him 'what.' But I had been careful not to start talking before I was one. Just so, you know, I didn't arouse any more suspicion than I'd already had.

As if sensing my question, Shisui reached over and lightly patted my hair. "It was wobbling out of place," he explained mock-seriously.

I glared at him.

His chakra seemed to buzz in amusement, but then Itachi walked in, and Shisui was gone. _Traitor, _I thought to myself sullenly.

I was hardly given any time to wallow in my self-pity, however, before I was swept up into the party. And I don't mean that in a good way. I'd gotten better at not getting a headache when there were a lot of people around, but the noise, food, _everything_. It was too much.

So I went into self-defense mode, which is nodding and smiling at everything without bothering to sense the presences of the people around me. Usually it worked fine, if people weren't paying a lot of attention. And despite the fact that I was the birthday girl, it seemed to be working for me.

Until I felt the chakra. A chakra so cold and calculating that without even realizing it, I'd slipped back into sensory mode. To my horror, I realized I was nodding and smiling at a chair. With no one sitting in it.

The fact that I looked like an idiot aside, the chakra I was sensing belonged to a clan elder. I'd never met an elder personally, but sometimes my mother or father would point one of them out to me the rare times we left our house. Usually I would try to memorize their chakra signatures, just so I would know when to run if one of them ever came up to me, but I'd completely missed this particular elder's presence in the room. Damn it.

And by the way his chakra vibrated, I knew the elder was watching me, too. Double damn it.

But then Shisui, wonderful, marvelous Shisui, came up (with Itachi at his side, I noticed sullenly) and said, "Kagami-chan, don't just sit here and talk to your imaginary friend, Onshi-chan. Come join the rest of the party! It's your birthday, after all!"

I could have hugged him right then and there. But that would've blown my cover. So I simply tried to look regretful and reluctantly allow myself to be led away.

But not before I whispered "Arigato" in my brother's ear. And if he was surprised at my speaking for the first time, he didn't show it.

.


End file.
